My beer came out watery? what happened

[Atomic]

I have been home brewing for a little over a year now i beleive this is my 6th batch. My concern is my latest batch it is a spiced ale http://www.mdhb.com/recipies/RUDOLPH.pdf <--recipe here. I followed all directions and not sure what or where i went wrong.


my previous batches have been great and before i used a 3 gal brew pot.

this spiced ale i purchased a bigger brew pot 5 1/2 gal because i read boiling more will give more flavor.

what i have noticed with this batch is that the flavor is big and spicy at first note but there after it just seems watery.

I had this sit in primary for 8 days then racked to secondary for 14 days then aged in keg at 13 psi for 5 days

any bits of info is appreciated thanks

 

[breez7]

What is your OG and FG? Extract or All-grain? (didnt look at recipe)

 

[Atomic]

\my Og was 1.054 and final was 1.010 and this was Extract

 

[breez7]

It fermented pretty dry so that is the 'watery' taste you are experiencing. Should still be a good beer but next time use some more specialty grains and extend the boil a bit to carmelize things.

 

[Atomic]

trial and error... i guess coming out of the element of a smaller brew pot.

My wife had a funny joke saying it was the best tasting light beer she ever had lol.

does that also explain why the head is very thin and barely there?

 

[PVH]

It fermented pretty dry so that is the 'watery' taste you are experiencing. Should still be a good beer but next time use some more specialty grains and extend the boil a bit to carmelize things.

Could also be the 1lb honey. It boosts your ABV without providing any body.

 

[mithion]

I'd let it sit longer. 5 days in keg is not a long time. Spiced ales take a little bit of time to develop. Try it again in a month or two before making a final assessment. You'll know something went wrong if it's still watery by then.

 

[ongreystreet]

It fermented pretty dry so that is the 'watery' taste you are experiencing. Should still be a good beer but next time use some more specialty grains and extend the boil a bit to carmelize things.

Or less water, how much water did you steep your grains in?

How much water did you boil?

 

[PVH]

Just noticed that it has been in the keg for only 5 days. It is likely not yet fully carbonated. That could make you perceive the beer as more watery.

 

[JRems]

^^ that is true. It can change your perception. You also describe a small head. It probably is not fully carbed. Or this particular style needs more carbonation.

 

[RM-MN]

I haven't worked with a keg but the spiced ale I put in bottles took over 2 months to come together. It was watery or thin and then one day it was just great. Give yours some more time.

 

[Atomic]

thanks everyone. i steeped grains in 4 gal. of water. after alot of reading im seeing alot of the same things being said about sierra nevada clones and some IPA's . So time is of the essence lol.

On a side note I am new to kegging this is my first kegged batch. I am fine with the waiting but I am now curious about the tempature. The spiced ale is in a mini fridge sitting at around 45 degrees at 10 psi should i bump down the temp and bump up the psi?

 

[Byrnesm]

I would say it has to do with not being allowed to carbonate enough, i brewed a batch of New Belgian Pale Ale, and bottled it then left on a hunting trip, my roommates called saying the beer was flat and watery, but they opened a bottle only 4 days after bottling!!!

 

[JRems]

Try 12 psi and drop the temp to 38-40 degrees.

 

[SilentAutumn]

I made a similar holiday spiced brew. Left mine in secondary for a month. It's been bottled for two weeks now. I had one last night just to see how it's going. It definitely needs to sit longer. I'll probably try one in another two weeks.